Northport passes business moratorium

Tuesday

Sep 18, 2012 at 12:01 AM

The Northport City Council on Monday night unanimously passed a moratorium banning 12 types of businesses from the city and its police jurisdiction. While existing businesses will be grand­fathered in and allowed to stay, the moratorium does not allow for the existing businesses to move, according to the ordinance.

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

NORTHPORT | No more tattoo parlors, pawn shops and fireworks stands will be allowed in Northport. The Northport City Council on Monday night unanimously passed a moratorium banning 12 types of businesses from the city and its police jurisdiction. While existing businesses will be grand­fathered in and allowed to stay, the moratorium does not allow for the existing businesses to move, according to the ordinance. Affected businesses also include body piercing parlors, title loan shops, payday loan operations, cash-and-go businesses, check-cashing stores, tobacco shops, adult book stores, sex item shops and hand car wash businesses. “We feel like right now we have plenty of [these businesses],” said Mayor Bobby Herndon. “It's not final, but temporary right now just slow down the influx.”Herndon said the city had received several complaints on the number of title loan and cash-checking businesses and that the businesses seemed to have increased during the last year. “We want to pull the reins a little bit and see what is best fit for Northport,” said City Councilman Steve Acker. During Monday's meeting, city attorney Ron Davis said Northport will study the impact of certain businesses in certain “business districts.” Although the moratorium will last for six months, the goal is to have codes in place that will permanently ban these businesses from Northport by the time the moratorium ends, said the city's retail development director Alan Harper. Simply, the businesses will not be provided for in the city's code, he said. “Some of these businesses don't lend themselves to the family environment of Northport,” Harper said. He added that the city's moratorium is not a reaction to Tuscaloosa's recent proposal to ban similar businesses in their MX zoned districts, all of which fall within the 5.9-mile path of the April 27, 2011, tornado. Tuscaloosa's proposal was opposed unanimously by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission Monday night, but the final decision lies with the Tuscaloosa City Council.“We've been trying to identify these businesses since March,” Harper said. “If we are going to do it, we should go ahead and do it to protect our citizens.”The moratorium was scheduled for a first-reading Monday night, meaning that it wasn't to be put for a vote until Oct. 1. But the council voted to suspend the rules and voted Monday night, with little discussion during the meeting. During the council's pre-meeting, Council President William Tunnell asked whether a business could appeal the city's moratorium if it wanted to relocate or open its doors within city limits. Harper said that they could not. While fireworks stands are included in the moratorium, the city will allow fireworks stands that have operated in the past to sell fireworks for the New Year holiday. After that, city laws will be changed to make the sale and use of fireworks illegal in the city and its police jurisdiction. Fireworks also are illegal to sell and use in the City of Tuscaloosa. “We will ban the use of fireworks altogether after the first of the year,” said City Administrator Scott Collins. Glenn Dodd, owner of Dizzy Dean's Fireworks, said he was disappointed to hear about the city's action. He learned about the ordinance when called for an interview by The Tuscaloosa News.“I don't think it's unfair, just from my perspective, it's unfortunate,” said Dodd, who has operated a fireworks stand on Rice Mine Road at the old Mack's Bait Shop location since 2004. “I tend to agree, these types of businesses are sometimes an eyesore,” Dodd said, who is also a Northport resident. “There's a difference between that and Midtown Village, but these are businesses that meet a need or desire for people.”Fireworks are often an activity that families do together and enjoy, he said. Adel Elgawish, owner of the Discount Tobacco Outlet in Northport, said he was disappointed to hear about the moratorium. His business, which was destroyed in Alberta during the April 27, 2011, tornado, relocated to Northport last year. The business had planned to open a second location in Northport, though that may change now change, he said.The moratorium will impact businesses, and cost the city tax revenue, Elgawish said. “It will affect Northport city too, because it says no more businesses in this activity,” Elgawish said. “It's not good for the city, but what can they do?”Elgawish said he hopes the city will do more research and look into allowing certain businesses in certain areas.